What if your team’s skills could be used to help prevent homelessness?

Team Ample has already partnered with Twitter, TD, Fiix, and Manulife in order to engage employees in supporting tech solutions to combat homelessness. Our chatbot Chalmers is just the first step in helping individuals at risk of homelessness get help faster. Whether your team is big on data, product strategy, development, or marketing, we’d appreciate your support to amplify our impact! We’re always looking forward to designing partnerships and cross-company hackathons to get more talented folks involved.

What topics will your team learn about?

• Mythbusting homelessness and ‘hidden’ homelessness
  There are many types of homelessness, but often media only portrays one. We will help you understand different stages of homelessness, and how individuals at risk look just like us. In fact, we’ve had team members with lived experiences share their stories.
• Technology use in homeless populations
  We’ll share research gathered across North America on homelessness and mobile usage. You’ll learn why accessible technology is necessary to get people out of homelessness, and where Chalmers users are finding us.
• Chalmers user personas and journey maps
  Team Ample has conducted thorough user research on Chalmers users that faced homelessness and their real day-to-day struggles. Homelessness is often periodic, and we can show you what resources individuals resort to, as well as the support they need.
• Latest stats and insights on Chalmers impact to date
  So far, Chalmers has reached over 150 000 individuals in need and our data has helped cities make better decisions on service placement. As Chalmers grows and we learn more about different user segments, we’ll share the latest data on what needs are.

Learn more about what’s the right fit to engage your team, with examples from other companies!

Why should you engage your team with skills-based volunteering at Ample Labs?

Partnering with Ample Labs empowers your team to use their skills to stop a growing problem in our cities. Team members can bond with each other through collaboration and expand their network with our Tech for Good Collective! When 1 in 10 Canadians have experienced homelessness in their lifetime, this is an issue that touches us all. (Stats Can)

• Team building with impact
  Employees are happier when they have closer relationships with their team, and when they feel their company is making a positive impact! Volunteering with us can help you reduce turnover and attract great talent that appreciate your commitment to good.
• Become part of a greater community
  Our Tech for Good collective is a growing community of awesome individuals in tech. From Twitter to TD to the next big start-up, you and your team will be connected to our hub. Make meaningful new connections and learn from each other!
• Improve Employer Branding
  What better way to showcase your team’s talents than tackling the giant problem of homelessness? Your team’s project with us will make a great case study. Potential clients and hires can see how awesome your team and your team culture are.

With Ample Labs, we make sure our volunteering experiences include learning on both sides! Your team will learn more about hidden homelessness and ours will gain new perspectives on how to tackle problems.

How would a partnership with Team Ample work?

This depends on you! Our team has partnership packages prepared, but we can customize them to your team and even design new ones based on your needs. We can work together, and you can be as involved as you want! We love new ideas, and they are always welcome.

We can engage your employees from across departments, and as many as you’d like. Here are some examples of what employee engagement with Ample Labs can look like.

Hackathon Challenges: Compete and collaborate

Employees are mixed into teams that race against the clock to solve a Chalmers challenge! Teams are given tools to help them create real-world solutions based on several judging categories. Depending on the type of company, it can include user research, data collection, feasibility, Ample values, your team’s specific values and more.

Past challenges include:

• How can data be used to measure the impact of Chalmers?
• How can Chalmers provide mental and physical health support?
• How can Twitter be used to reach more individuals in need?
• How can we improve stickiness in Chalmers?

Length: Option 1) 1 day; 5 hours
Option 2) 1 week; 10–20 hours

Employees engaged: As many as you want! For the full experience, we require a minimum of 10 employees from any cross-section of your company. For smaller companies with fewer employees, we can create options to work with other companies or our own team members!

Impact: Our team has incorporated many pitches from challenges into our product road map, including SMS or email opt-in and voluntary user profiles. The solutions and fresh perspectives we gain from the hackathons often help us build upon existing ideas and build new ones!

“Pivoting to virtual volunteering has been a challenge for us at Fiix, but Ample Labs made the process super easy, fun, and above all: impactful. I’m glad we could partner with Ample Labs to advance their mission of preventing homelessness.” — Katie Allen, Sustainability and Social Impact Manager, Fiix

Long-term Volunteering: Culture of Giving

Leverage your team’s skills with high-impact projects! Your team members will integrate with Ample teams and work together on a weekly basis. From experimental services to business strategy, your team’s support in the day-to-day work at Ample directly impacts the bottom line.

Long-term projects include:

• Building out experimental services
• User research and journey mapping
• Business strategy and B2B marketing
• Exploring new partnership opportunities

Length: 3+ months; 4–5 hours per week

Employees engaged: Ideal for 10–25 employees from across departments. We appreciate mentorship, and also provide training to those with less experience.

Impact: Our team has built out services with the help of long-term partners like TD! They have contributed to our engineering team in product releases and experimental services. Team Ample has also received vital business strategy support, and we thank our long-term partners for their help.

“Technology has the power to solve the world’s hardest problems. One that has eluded us for a long time is close to us: helping homeless and vulnerable populations in an effective manner. Our partnership with Ample Labs is a meaningful chance for us to give back via technology.” — Franklin Garrigues, VP of TD Digital, TD Bank Group

Development Workshops: Learning and Responding

Gain perspective on the realities of homelessness in our communities, including insights that may surprise you! Our team will help yours develop practical skills that make our communities a better place to live and work. We’ll engage your team with questions and activities to strengthen your understanding.

Learning workshop topics include:

• Introduction to hidden homelessness and how to support your community
• How to conduct user research on hidden homelessness with respect and dignity
• Exploring the future of technology for vulnerable communities
• More available upon request. We have social service, tech, and community partners that are happy to speak at our workshops!
• Length: 1–2 hours each
• Employees engaged: Everyone from your team is welcome

“Ample Labs is an ideal tech non-profit to partner with for Twitter. Our vision for corporate social responsibility is to bring the company and community together to be a force for good through employee engagement, platform activation, and corporate giving.” — Michele Austin, Policy, Twitter Public Policy

If there’s more your team wants to learn or contribute, let us know!
Book a call with us and let’s make a change together.